Laura Da’ is the author of Instruments of the True Measure, which is forthcoming from the University of Arizona Press in 2018, and Tributaries (University of Arizona Press, 2015). She lives near Seattle, Washington.

The first cultural event in Chillicotheis a matinee performanceof an outdoor playhighlighting Tecumseh’s life.We are honored guests,ushered backstage before the show.

How to approximate a scalping at the Tecumseh Outdoor Drama: Hollow an egg with care. Fill with Karo syrup and red tempera paint. Soak a toupee with cherry Kool-Aid and mineral oil. Crack the egg onto the actor’s head. Red matter will slide down the crown and eggshell will mimic shards of skull.

Actors on horseback frame the stage.A roan flicks his tail irritably at fliesas his rider shifts uncertainly on the saddle blanket.

How to approximate death by gauntlet: The victim must lead the action. The aggressor follows. Burn marks are approximated on the actor’s chest with burnt ends of wine corks hidden in the sand at his feet. The knife is dull edged, lined with a small tubing mechanism. The actor squeezes a pump of corn syrup, liquid soap, and red food dye in a limp arc across the torso.

At the end of the performancethe crowd turns a standing ovationto the representatives of our tribesitting in the middle rows.Are we mocked or honored with such a display?That evening,I rail glibly on the telephone: historical inaccuracies, hooping and hollering, pandering to the worst stereotypes.My husband interrupts me—yousoundlikeyou’vebeencrying.

A Chillicothe chief to the British Army Commander in 1779:Wehavealwaysbeenthefrontier.